In the construction of substantially all buildings, UL and/or FM approved fire pumps must be incorporated. The pumps provide water pressure for fire sprinklers, hydrants, or a standpipe system where the available source of water pressure is inadequate. All approved fire pumps are constructed and factory tested pursuant to the National Fire Protection Association ("NFPA") regulations. Most state and local fire and building regulatory agencies, as well as insurance underwriters, have adopted the NFPA regulations or code for testing fire pumps.
The NFPA code requires field testing of each new pump, and annual testing of existing pumps. Under supervision of the local building and fire authorities, the pumps are tested with full water flow to verify that the pump, the supply piping, and water source meet the design demand of the fire suppression system of the building.
Historically, although standard equipment is required for performing the test, there has been little standardization in the method of performing the test. Pursuant to the NFPA, the flow test is to be conducted using the underwriter's playpipe, 1 1/8 inch brass nozzle tips, a pitot flow measuring gauge, a calibrated pressure gauge set, a hand-held tachometer, a digital voltmeter and a clip on ammeter, but the method of performing the test is not specified. Consequently, the particular manner in which the standardized equipment is used to perform the test is left up to the individual, thereby resulting in varied test length, accuracy, and total consumption of water with each test conducted.
Many of the new pump installation tests are conducted on dirt pad sites of new building construction. Such sites cannot handle the high pressure sprays and large volume of water runoff for the full duration of the flow test. Thus, the tests are often shorter in length than necessary to assure accurate results. Other sites do not have the physical space necessary to accommodate the full spray of water under high pressure without damage to surrounding property. In that event, the tests are often conducted at less than full pressure, resulting in inaccurate testing. Building sites and crowded city locations rarely afford sufficient spray areas without interrupting traffic for long periods or without potential harm to pedestrians and nearby property.